Ventilating and air circulating device



July 23, 1935. A. o. MILLER 2,008,965

VENTILATING AND MR CIRCULATING DEVICE Filed March 29, 1930 /Z 5/ N n 35 /d/ l. Z2 Q L l l mmm 27 \\\\l Illll /6 Z? q Z J v4 5.2 j/ i ff f@ f 5 ,l JJ 40 j j i 4 S j /l gw /5 j f v /4 /0 l. -IZ'IZ- ,ya mvENToR 9 ATTORNEY LLEN O. MILLER UNITED' STATES PATENT orf-FICE sucses vnivmnmo Auen o. inner, sem wash., asignar to west Wind a corporation o! Wash- Application M ai'ch 29,

'rms invention-relates. to ventiia-'ting'andair circulating means, and it. has reference in pare titular to a device'for electrically driven fan which, in its use as a e that purpose including an l ventilator for' exhausting air from or delivering structure or housing `wall oi' the room, and which in its air into a, room, is mounted within a supporting which' may be placed in a `for circulatingair, is removed !rom and used independently oi' the housingas the ordinary type of portable, electric ian.-

It` is an object of the present invention to provide means the fan unit is it either for exhausting air from or for air into a room, and also to provide the unit with A legs, or supports, whereby it may be heldinv an .upright position A housing; the legs being foldable or adjustable to a position\ when` .used independently Voi' the at which they will not interfere with an veasy application of the unit to its housing f when it is to be used i'or Ventilating.

Another object of the invention is to provide the housing with a means wherebythe fan: unit will'be held securely in place therein-but wh ic h A may be readilyand easily released for removal of the unit.

Other objects ofthe inventionreside 'in the various-details of constructionand in the combination of' parts and in their mode .oi' operation as will hereinafter be described. y 4In accomplishing the obiects of the invention,

l l have provided the improved details of construction,fth'e preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig, 1 -is a air circulatingjdevice embodying the present invention; showing-the fan unit removed from the housing therefor that is amd waarna window openingk f f Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the fan unit as applied within the housing.

Fig. 3 i s.a sectional view on thev iinevl-I- in Flgg'2. j

Fig. 4 is ai detail of the latch mechanism.

Referring more in detail to the drawing- The ian unit, in a preferred form of construction, comprises a cylindrical shell i, open at its opposite ends and there vformed withint'urned iianges," as atl, to give s'tiil'ness and rigidity to -the shell as'well as to enhance its appearance.

oriltted in-a window thereof,

of the above character in' which reversibly4 insertable-.within the" supportingstructu're or. housing` so as to adapt perspectiveview of Ventilating and 1930, Serial '(01. 98-94) 5 is ilxed to the shaft 6 oi the motor; the cross bar, motor and fan all shell, as shown best in Fig. 2.

Circuit connection wires 8 lead to thel motor 'through an pening l in the top Lwall oi-the shell and within the cross bar and a switch Il for controlling the'delivery of current is mounted in the lower end portion ofthe "crossvbar and this switch is operated by a pull cord il that extends i'rom the switch through an opening' i 2 in cross bar. Forsupportin'g the ian unit in. an upright ppsition, I have provided the two rings or legs I3-i2. Preferably these parts .consist of plates that are pivotally attached as at I4 to flanges 2 of the shell at opposite sides of its base portion `and which are adapfed'to extend laterally and downwardly from. the shell to serve-as supporting le8S, and whiclareradially curved and maybe 'folded ilatly against the shell body which at these places is depressed inwardly, as at I5, to receive them so` that when thus folded against the shell, v the .latter presents Aa lsmooth, cylindrical. outer surface. j ,j

The supporting structure wth which the i'an ing above or below a sliding window. In Fig. l,

being contained within the the shell directLv alined with the lower end of the y unit is to be 'used may either be permanently -mounted within a wall or it may be in the nature ,of a panel adapted to be iitted in a window openit has been illustrated as a panel forv application to a' window opening. In this construction the supporting panel is made up oi' a central. section i8 .and opposite end' sections Ida and isb thatv are telescopically connected thereto so as to be adjusted outwardly or inwardly to accommodate windows'of diileretwidtha Formed in the central opening 20 andixed to the panel concentria with this opening, is a cylindrical housing 2i with an inturned peripheral ila'nge 22 at its outer end forming a circular opening 23 which is of the same diameter as the opening 20 and the twoare alined and are adapted to receive the cylindrical shell of the fan unit therein as shown in Fig. 2.

l'ixed to and extended inwardly from the inner edges of the anges 22 and across the bottom edge of the opening 2l is a-plate 25 that is provided at its buter end with an upturned abutment ilange 26 which serves as a means oflimiting outward movement of the housing.` There isalso mounted within a slot 21 in' theplate, a downwardly yieldable latch plate 22 having a hook portion 29 'at its outer end 'adapted to snap upwardly within openings 2l 'in fan unit when inserted in the panel i8 is acl'rcular I the shell to hold the fan unit in place, and against turning in the supporting structure; there are two of the openings 30 and they are so located as to receive the latch hook for reverse positions of the unit.

At the top side of the cylindrical housing 2| a notch 3l is formed in the flange 22 for the passage o the circuit wires 8 when the fan is inserted, and a downwardly facing trough-like plate 32 extends from the notch and beyond the panel I8 and has a downturned abutment 33 which cooperates with the stop 26 to limit inward movement of the fan unit. Likewise, across the base of the housing a slot 34 is depressed in the plate 25 for the passage of the pull cord.

It is also desirable to cover the outer end opening of the housing with a screen 35 to prevent the fan, in operation, from drawing insects or the like into the room. This screen is here shown to be supported along its lower edge in a groove formed at the outer edge of the plate 25 by the spaced flanges 28--26a.

A door is hingedly attached to the inner end of. the housing to close the passage when the ian unit is removed.

In using the device for ventilation, the fan unit is inserted within the housingin the manner necessary for obtaining the desired direction of air delivery. For this insertion, the supporting legs I3 are folded against the shell. When the shell is inserted it is held in place :by the stops and latch 28. If it is desired to use the fan as a portable unit independent of the housing, it may be withdrawn by depressingthe latch and draw- ,ing the unit outwardly from the housing. The `legs are then adjusted outwardly as in Fig. 1 to support the unit in an upright position.

Supporting housings, as shown in Fig. l, may be readily applied to various windows either at the top or at the lower end. Housings of a like nature may be built in Walls 'as permanent equipment. One fan may serve a number of these outlets. Y

An advantage of this particular 'combination resides in the saving made possible by the portable fan which may becarried from room to room and used where needed, thereby making it unnecessary to provide a fan for each outlet. There is also the advantage that the fan may be reversibly inserted for either drawing air into or from a room. Then there is the advantage in the useof the fan unit independently of the housing.

While I have described quitein detail the construction of the fan and its understood that I do 'not wish the claims tofbe unnecessarily restricted to details butto broadly cover the use of a portable fan that is insertable within its housing in reverse positions in connec tion with portable panels or permanent fixtures and to be adapted to be withdrawn for use as an independent unit. v v f In the foregoing matter and in the claims which are to follow, I havel used the word inserted to differentiate the present fan unit which may be simply slipped into and from its supporting houshousing, it is to beV vthereof and having ing from other fan devices which are placed in position and then secured by .means of screws, pivots, pr th, like, and I have used the word"with drawn to differentiate the present fan unit which may be readily removed from its housing by' the depressing of a latch from fan devices which are removable only after the removal of screws, or bolts, which are for a. more or less permanent mounting. The present construction is featured by its being readily withdrawable from its housing and reversibly insertable, requiring only a'. few seconds time to withdraw and reverse the position oi.' the fan unit in its housing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is: l

1. In combination, a housing formed with an air passage, and a fan unit comprising a shell fit'- ted in said passage anda motor driven fan mounted within the shell for propulsion of air through the passage; said fan unit being removable from the housing and applicable thereto in reverse directions and having supporting legs fixed thereto for functionally supporting the unit in its independent use, and collapsible against'the shell for insertion of the unit into the housing.

2. In combination, a Ventilating structure applicable to a windowkx or wall opening and formed with a cylindrical air passage, a ian unit comprising a cylindrical shelladapted to tlt slidably within the cylindrical passage, a motor driven fan supported Within the shell for the propulsion of air therethrough; said shell being removable from Aand reversibly applicable to the said passage for reversing the direction of able latch in the housing adapted to interlock with the shell to retain the fan unit in functional position therein, and said fan unit being adapted for use independent of the housing and having means thereon for supporting it functionally when so the air delivery, a yield- 35 used andwhich are collapsible against the shellA bly applicable to said passage for propulsion of air therethrough and adapted to engage "said abutment means, to limit its outward movement.

`a yieldable latch mounted by the housing and adaptedv to lock with the fanunit to hold it against inward movement; said fan unit being removable fromthe housing for use independently laterally extendable means for supporting it functionally when so used.

' v4. A fan unit comprising a cylindrical shell open at its ends and forming an air passage, a motor driven fan. mounted within the shell for propulsion of air through the passage, a pair of plates pivotally fixed to the shell as supporting means for the-unit and collapsable against the shellvto permit application of the unit within a cylindrical housing of .substantially the same diameter 'as the shell.

Y ALLEN O.' MILLER. 

